The Australian Dollar is the official currency of Australia and it is used in Tuvalu (alongside Tuvaluan dollar), Nauru, Kiribati (alongside Kiribati dollar) and 7 Aussie territories (Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Australian Antarctic Territory, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Norfolk Island. The ISO-4217 code for the Australian Dollar is AUD, and the currency symbol is AU$.

The AUD was first introduced in 14 February 1966 and replaced Australian Pound at a rate of 1 Australian Dollar = 0.5 Australian Pound.

Australian Dollar is a high volatility, freely traded currency, and because of this became the 6th most traded currency in the world. The Aussie, as many call it, is not considered a reserve currency, but it is attractive because the central bank is dormant on the market and the Australian government and economy are stable.

The Australian Dollar (AUD) is highly influenced by commodities (minerals, agricultural products), meaning that Aussie experiences a high variation through the year; going up at the end of harvests/when Australia exports raw materials and downhill when mineral prices are hit. The value of the AUD is also influenced by the close relationship between the country and Asian material importers, China being the most important player.

The first time in its freely traded currency history when the AU dollar reached parity with the USD was on 15 October 2010. On 27 July 2011 the Australian Dollar was at its peak against the USD, trading at $1.1080. Some forecasted that by 2014, the AUD could rise to 1.70 USD.